Battle for Love (Bachelor Billionaire #3) (5 page)

Julie
was able to let seven weeks pass without having to see Ethan. She
made sure to use work as an excuse to avoid all gatherings he might
have been at. A couple of times, he was out of town and she was able
to go. Lisa would tell her if he was going to be there or not, but
nobody else knew that. It surprised Julie that she actually missed
him. Even though he was a huge brat, she still liked being around
him. Nothing went the way she thought it would that night she had
text him. She thought they would get past their issues with each
other and move on. The more she thought about him, the more she knew
she needed to stay away.

Julie
had been to Becky and Gavin's house several times alone for dinner.
She was so happy for her brother and his new bride. They were
starting a family, and Julie was excited about being an aunt. Gavin
had text her to let her know that he would be out of town with Ethan
at a conference for a few days. He wanted her to check in with Becky
and make sure she didn't need anything. They thought he was so funny.
She was only twelve weeks pregnant. Julie thought it was the sweetest
thing to see her brother so protective over his wife and baby.

Julie
called Becky every morning and every night to make sure everything
was fine. She knew Becky was going to be the best mom ever. When
Julie came out after seeing a little boy in one of her exam rooms,
one of her nurses stopped her.

“
Becky
called. She sounded really tired. I asked her if everything was okay.
She said she needed you to call her,” the nurse said.

Julie
went into her office and shut the door. She felt her heart drop to
her stomach as she dialed the phone. There is no way Becky would have
called her unless something was wrong. Becky picked up her phone on
the second ring.

“
Hey
Becky, are you okay?” Julie asked.

“
I'm
not sure. My stomach is cramping and there's some stuff. I'm sure I
am overreacting, but I wanted to check with you.”

Julie
could hear Becky holding onto her tears by a thread. Her voice was so
shaky.

“
It's
probably nothing, but I'm on my way.”

“
No,
I don't want to interrupt your work. I can wait until later. I just
wanted to mention it to you.”

“
It's
fine. I am leaving right now. I should be there in fifteen minutes.
Just keep your feet up and rest.”

“
Thank
you, Julie. I'm so sorry for bothering you.”

“
You're
not bothering me. You're my sister. I'm glad you called.”

Julie
hung up the phone and let her staff know she was leaving early. She
had another doctor working that day and was glad he could cover the
rest of the patients. As Julie drove to Becky's, she tried to think
the most positive thoughts she could. Becky was twelve weeks along,
but that didn't mean she was completely in the clear. If anything was
wrong, Julie knew there was nothing that could be done. She just kept
thinking, let everything be okay.

Julie
called Becky's doctor on her way over to let them know she was going
to bring her in. He was a great doctor Julie knew from college. When
she got there, she knew to keep her emotions in check for Becky. As
soon as she walked into the house, she had Becky get her shoes on and
they were on their way.

“
Should
we call Gavin and let him know you're going to the doctor?”
Julie asked.

“
No,
their flight left a few minutes ago. They will be home in a few
hours. I don't want to worry him for nothing. Thank you for being
here with me,” Becky said.

“
I
will always be here for you. How could I not love the woman who puts
up with my brother?”

When
they got to the doctor, they had Becky go back to a room right away.
The doctor came in and said hello to both of them and asked Becky an
assortment of questions. He let her know that he was going to have an
ultrasound done and took her to a different room. She put her head
back on the bed and let out a huge breath.

“
Everything's
going to be okay. They need to see if there is a reason for what you
are feeling. I will be here with you the whole time.”

“
I
just want everything to be okay. Gavin would be devastated if
anything happened and so would I. Thank you for being here. You have
no idea how much that means to me. I know you are used to all of
this, but it kind of freaks me out.”

The
nurse walked in and got everything ready. They were doing the
ultrasound and Julie would not move her eyes from the screen. It was
not going to be good news. She had been in this situation at the
hospital, and that was hard enough. How do you deal with it when it's
your own family? Julie held her emotions together and did everything
she could not to let Becky see the sadness she was feeling. It had to
come from the doctor's mouth.

The
nurse took them back into the exam room, and they waited for the
doctor. Julie held Becky's hand and sat next to her. When the doctor
walked in, he exchanged a knowing look with Julie. She nodded her
head slightly and put her arm around Becky. As the doctor told Becky
everything he needed to, Julie felt her own emotions rush to the
surface. She pulled Becky closer as they both cried together over the
loss that filled the room. The doctor continued to speak about what
he felt needed to happen next. He wanted to do a procedure to get rid
of what was left in her body from the pregnancy. Julie told the
doctor that she did not want him to do it. He agreed to let Becky's
body have two weeks to take care of it on its own. If it didn't, then
he would do the procedure. He left them alone after telling Becky how
sorry he was and that she should not let it discourage her from
trying again.

Becky
and Julie stayed in the room for a little while. They cried and
talked. Julie let her know that there was nothing she could have done
differently. It was not anyone's fault that it happened. She assured
her that it happened often to people. It just meant that something
was not okay with the baby. Julie let her know that she could get
pregnant again and everything could be perfectly fine.

Becky
was quiet the entire way home. Julie wanted to talk to her brother so
bad. His flight was probably still in the air. She promised Becky
that she wouldn't call him. Becky wanted to wait until Gavin got
home, so she could tell him in person. There was no way she wanted
him to find out while he was driving home or standing in the airport.

Julie
opened a new text to Ethan. She didn't want to talk to him, but she
needed to know where her brother was.

“
Don't
say anything to Gavin. I need to know something. No screwing around.
How far away from the house are you?” she sent.

“
About
fifteen minutes. He's driving. Is everything okay?”

“
No,
but don't say anything to him. I am at the house with Becky. I just
wanted to make sure he was on his way home.” he sent.

“
What's
wrong? We're on our way.”

“
Thank
you.”

“
Talk
to me Julie.” he sent back.

Julie
got Becky settled in her room. She got her something warm to drink
and sat with her arms around her. It was so hard for Julie not to
break down completely, but she knew that her friend needed her. As
soon as Julie heard the key in the door, she took off for the
entryway. She could hear Gavin and Ethan talking, as she jerked the
door open. Both of the guys froze as soon as their eyes met hers. She
could instantly feel the tears, she had been trying so hard to hold
back, run down her cheeks.

“
She's
in the bedroom. We just got home. She made me promise not to call
you,” Julie said.

Gavin
dropped his bags and ran for the bedroom. Julie turned, walked into
the living room, and fell onto the couch. She dropped her head into
her hands and let out everything she had been holding in. Ethan sat
next to her and put his arms around her, pulling her into his chest.
Without thinking about their argument or the heated texts they had
sent each other, she brought her legs up, wrapped her arms around
them, and melted into his chest. They sat as she cried for what
seemed like hours. When she lifted her head, she saw how soaked his
t-shirt was. Ethan lifted her chin with his hand and looked into her
eyes.

“
What
happened?” he asked. “Is Becky okay?”

It
was the first time, since Julie had met him fifteen years ago, that
Ethan had a sincere look of concern on his face.

“
She
lost the baby,” Julie whispered.

She
saw his eyes widen and a look of shock cover his face. He sat silent.
She had no idea what to do.

“
Ethan,
are you okay?” she asked.

***

This
cannot be happening, he thought.

“
Why?
How did it happen?” he asked.

“
There
was something wrong? It was her body's way of dealing with it. There
had to have been something wrong that the baby would not have made
it. It wasn't her fault,” Julie said, as she took his hands in
hers.

“
Was
there anything she could have done?” he asked. “Was there
something she could have done to save the baby?”

“
No,”
she said, as she took his face between her hands and looked into his
eyes. “There was absolutely nothing she could have done to
avoid this. She was so upset. You have no idea what the last few
hours have been like. Becky is devastated and Gavin will be too. They
are going to need all of us right now.”

“
I
hope they get through this. They have to be able to make it through
this. Do you think they'll be okay? You don't think he'll blame her
and leave do you?”

“
No,
of course not. Ethan, look at me. He loves her very much. Gavin will
be right there with her through all of this. You know that right?
Everything is going to be okay. He would never blame her for any of
this. Why would you even think that?”

“
I
just can't deal with this. I need to get out of here. They shouldn't
have gotten pregnant. This is the exact reason I will never have
kids. Are you okay?” he asked.

“
I
have seen this so many times, just never with my own family. That
baby would have been so loved. I just worry about Becky.”

“
Do
you want kids?” he asked.

“
I
love kids. I'm a pediatrician. I don't know what I would do without
seeing all those bright faces and helping them each day. I don't plan
to have children of my own. I will never trust a man enough for
that.”

“
Why
not?” he asked. “Your parents are still together, and you
had a happy childhood. Why would you think that way?”

He
wondered to himself as he waited for her to answer. Why would she
feel that way? Her father was an amazing man. He loved his kids so
much. Ethan would have loved to have had a mother and father that
cared as much as hers did. How could she not see how lucky she was?
How could she not want that for herself?

“
Do
you want kids?” she asked, avoiding his question.

“
Never”

Gavin
walked into the room with tears in his eyes, just as she was about to
say something else. Ethan felt nauseous, as he looked into his
friend's eyes.

Julie
jumped up from her spot against Ethan and ran to Gavin. She threw her
arms around him and held him so tight. Ethan could feel the love
Julie had for her brother.

“
I
should have been here,” Gavin cried.

“
There
was nothing you could have done. You were already on the plane when
she called me. I came over right away. Even if you were here, things
would have been the same. There is not a single thing either of you
could have done different. It would have happened anyway. I just want
you and Becky to understand that. The most important thing is that
neither of you blame yourself.”